Mansfield House Captain

Term 1 saw a Covid-safe Swimming Carnival with the iconic theme of ‘Under the Sea’. As Covid-safe restrictions were in place, this meant there was minimal cheering on the day; however, Mansfield took the opportunity to encourage our awesome swimmers with the introduction of the Mansfield Clap. The original clap was made by the fans of the Canberra Raiders and is a way to build encouragement and atmosphere on the day. Thanks to Mansfield’s ingenious tactics, we ended up winning the inaugural House Spirit Award!

Next was the Cross-Country Carnival which saw the revival of Mario Kart as the theme. It was wonderful to see everyone being involved on this day. There was plenty of hype and build up leading to this event with Home Groups being involved and making carts for people to wear on the day! Mansfield had an amazing atmosphere on the day, thanks to everyone who was there! Later in Term 2 saw the Athletics Carnival with Superheroes being the theme. Day 1 was amazing, full of atmosphere and participation in all the field events that took place. Day 2 of the Athletics Carnival wasn’t seen until Term 3 as the original day was rained out. However, with the build up to the day there was an ecstatic atmosphere on the day with all Home Groups getting involved, from t-shirts, costumes, masks, posters, banners and everyone bringing in a high spirit on the day.

Pavement Art was next up where Mansfield ‘fielded’ teams in all year levels. The standard of creativity and work was phenomenal - excellent job to everyone involved! The final event of the year was RecyKle. An amazing and motivated team of Mansfield students with Ms Dixon completed the challenging event, and everyone brought a positive attitude and encouragement. Even though Mansfield did not win the event, it was a difficult yet enjoyable day as everyone had fun. Not only were the Carnivals a success, but Home Group competitions were also a huge hit. In Term 2, the Scavenger Hunt was introduced, involving all Home Groups from all the Houses to complete a riddle and race to the location uncovered to receive a quiz, which once completed, allowed a piece of a bigger riddle to be provided. This took place over three weeks, with the final day involving Home Groups combining the pieces of the riddle together to uncover a final location, which provided the winners with a prize.

Another activity that we completed was the Photo Board Challenge. The activity involved Home Groups taking pictures of themselves in several different ways, which could then be printed and placed onto their Home Group boards, allowing it to be decorated whichever way they liked. The photo board was used to allow students within their Home Group to get to know each other better, particularly people in different grades, who may not talk too often. The photo board is to last a long time, allowing new students to see who used to be in their Home Group and allowing them to make their own memories and experiences, connecting to the true essence of Mansfield.

As the Mansfield House Captain for 2021, this year I initiated a Gifts of Grace service project. I wanted to leave a lasting impact on something other than our Redeemer community, so, I decided to partner with ALWS and put together a service learning project. I pitched the idea to all of Mansfield and decided to raise funds for a veggie garden and a water pump for a village in a developing country.

As the 2021 House Captain of Mansfield, I would like to say thank you to everyone, and what an honour it has been to lead Mansfield. Best of luck to the future of Redeemer Lutheran College, and the future Mansfield House Captains. I know you will be incredible!